Modesto's Test Test

Hey MM,

I posted here in Feb about my low T numbers and my Doctors lack of knowledge. Well, he finally swallowed his pride and referred me to a Urologist, who didn’t hesitate one second to start me on T shots. I just had my fourth one last week and can say that the subtle changes have made a major difference in my life. As I continue to read this thread and how you are starting to feel I would like to offer my two cents, and hope that maybe RickM will chime in here as his experience is greater than mine.We are close in age I think??? I am a little older, just turned 54. Like you I lost my libido, my drive for anything in life, felt weak with no energy and was just a major blob trudging through life. Within 3 days of my first shot I had this boost of energy that has stayed with me and I am now lifting more weight than I have in years and doing more reps with that weight. I just feel better about everything and I am no longer the “grumpy old man” that my son said I had turned into!! The changes have been slow and may take time to get them all back. My libido is still not where I want it to be, but it had hit rock bottom and is starting back from zero.

You had said I think in a post that you would rather not start anything this early in life, but I wonder if you were to get help now before things get to a low point like mine that maybe the recovery time could be quicker? You have lost some of your libido and drive for life, don’t completely let them disappear before you look to get them back as it may take longer like mine. The only thing I regret about getting these shots is that I pissed around with my Doctor and lost time.If I could go back and change one thing it would be that I started about 2 years ago.

I am no expert and you know yourself best, but you have lower Total than mine was and are starting to feel the exact way I started out. My new Doctor is on top of things!! I get a shot every 30 days as well as a prostate exam. They are even getting easier to have especially when he is done and says, ” You have the prostate the size of a teenager”!!!

Well, I feel better and hate to see anyone get they way I was, just want to help in anyway I can!

Open for any questions. Best of luck!!

My situation is complicated by the fact that my wife has a very low sex drive. For years it was a HUGE problem in our relationship, but recently it’s been no biggie. So I fear that some of the old frictions will come back if I start sniffing around more for sex (I’m actually a little encouraged that your sex drive has been slow to come back).

I really don’t feel that bad. I could live like this. And then there’s the matter of whether much of my subjective feeling of drabness in life is really psychological.

A good test might be to try T for a while and see how it feels. At any rate, the next step is to arrange for a more complete blood test.

Thanks for the encouraging reply.

BPA raising testosterone in men? – The Chart - CNN.com Blogs

BPA raising testosterone in men?

Bisphenol A or BPA, the controversial chemical widely found in plastic products, can increase testosterone in men, a new study says. The research, published in the Environmental Health Perspectives, analyzed data from an Italian study of 715 adults between the ages of 20 and 74 years. They measured the amount of BPA excreted in daily urine samples. On average the daily BPA exposure level was more than 5 micrograms a day. Similar researchers said, to exposures seen in the general adult U.S. population.

Researchers found that men who had higher BPA excretions had higher testosterone levels in their blood. Researchers said the changes were modest. There were no significant changes in women.

"This is the first big study of BPA from a European country and confirms that ‘routine’ exposures in the population are not negligible," said David Melzer, professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, UK. "It also shows that higher exposure to BPA is statistically associated with modest changes in levels of testosterone in men."

Melzer says this is just the first step in proving that BPA might be active in the body as a result of ordinary exposure levels. More studies are needed he said.

BPA is commonly used in plastic food and drink containers and has been the focus of controversy over use in those products and baby bottles. The chemical is an endocrine disruptor, which interferes with the body’s endocrine system causing developmental, reproductive, and neurological health problems. It’s added to plastics to make them more shatterproof. It’s also found in the linings of aluminum cans. At issue is whether the chemical leaches out of these containers into food. Concern over health risks for infants has led a number of countries to ban its use in baby bottles.
BPA is one of the most highly produced chemicals in the world. Studies indicate that it can be detected in more than 90 percent of the population.

The Food and Drug Administration is taking a closer look at BPA to determine whether stricter regulation is necessary. In the meantime, the agency says it supports "reasonable steps" to reduce human exposure to the chemical in the food supply.

well, I am not sure why you are encouraged that my libido is slow to come back, but if makes you feel better then glad I could help!!LOL I will say that I had lost morning erections for about the last year and a half, but since the shots, I wake up like a teenager every morning, so for me that IS encouraging.

I know that you are well aware of all the benefits of “T” therapy, just thought I would share some positive news with you and you can go from there.

My T results just came back. From the specialist, total T is up — at 505 (yeah).

However, my free T is very low—it is less than half the bottom number on the scale of “normal.”

The conclusion: I have low T.
The surprise: It’s as low as my father’s.

I’ve started treatment. Now the question is, will I respond better than he did? Stay tuned.

Ok. This is weird. Yesterday was my first T gel application.

As I was applying the gel, I felt sort of a warm tingly feeling in the back of my neck. THe feeling persisted and grew as the day went by. I worked until after 8pm last night with no sign of fatigue. I went to bed at normal time. Had sex. What was that? The orgasm was different—the orgasm itself wasn’t as long as usual (that often go for 30 seconds), but the feeling leading up to it was much more intense. Hmm. Could this be working already?

This morning I launched out of bed. I usually drag myself. Now I’m having sexual fantasies—very rare for me. WTF is going on?

Another day and another application. I’m noticing I feel awake sooner after getting up than usual. WHat I mean is, I usually drag around for an hour or so, drinking coffee and waiting for energy to kick in. The energy now seems to be coming quicker, and without as much caffeine.

I had sex again. That’s 2 days in a row, which is very rare for me. I usually feel nearly unable to have it 2 days in a row, and I certainly usually don’t feel like it. THings are changing.

I have a tingly feeling in my dick. It sort of makes me wonder whether the T might potentiate PE gains since I’ve been deficient for so long. I’ll do some tugging and see if it gets me anywhere.

Today I’m doing chores. And enjoying them. I find that I’m challenging myself to get things done and enjoying competing with my own expectations. The chores aren’t depleting me, as they usually do.

Work seems easier, too. I’m finding it’s been a little easier to sit and focus. I’m getting a lot done.

Of course, this might all be psychological. After all, I’ve only applied the stuff 3 times. Whatever the cause of the improvement, I’m happy and grateful for it. :)

This morning I noticed that my balls looked smaller. It was cold, but still. Could this be happening already?

Hey MM,
I am five months into this and still feel somewhat new to it, but you seem to be responding in the same way that I have. I am getting shots every 30 days. About 2-3 days after my shot, I feel like I drank a whole pot of coffee!! I am working my ass off and don’t even mind!!! I used to be overwhelmed with exhaustion from the moment I woke up, but now can go all day, which really helps with my workouts. I sleep great until about 3 am when I get awake with a banging good hardon. I go right back to sleep until the alarm goes off at 5 and still have a hardon, I love it!!!LOL It just seems that everything in life is much better now than it was before the shots.

I had mentioned in an earlier post that my libido was not as strong as I would like for it to be, and it still is not.Maybe its just age? I have great libido on the brain, just not the brain I would like for it to be.Sex on the shots has been great as well, and I also feel like the orgasms are more intense than they were before the shots.

As for your balls shrinking, could be?? My GP could not handle this case for me so he sent me to a Urologist. After looking at the test results, he said I was going to get a shot but would examine me first. While my balls were in his hand, he mentioned that they already felt like there was some atrophy!!!Not what you want to hear while someone has your balls in their hand!!!LOL Anyway, after the last time my wife and I had sex, and we were still getting our breath, I said, “Not bad for someone whose balls are getting smaller”, and my wife said” Don’t take this the wrong way, but I could care less how big your balls are as long as your dick keeps working like that” . RickM mentioned in one of his posts, that it happens, and it is a pride thing, and I guess he is right. At this point, I don’t parade around in a gym shower or locker room for anyone to notice, so it hasn’t bothered me too much. Maybe if they get any smaller I would look into what ever RickM was doing to bring them back as much as possible.I am just happy that I feel better than I have in a long time.

One quick question, did your Dr. give you the option of shots or gel??? I didn’t get a choice, but was just happy to be getting some kind of help. The only thing I don’t like about getting the shot is that I can tell when it is about done!!! I start to feel like I did before I got one.I don’t like the crash and burn feeling.Going in every 30 days has its merits I guess. I have been getting prostate exams and they are all good and my first PSA last week since starting the shots was under 1.0 I am much more of the mind set that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Hey, thanks for sharing your experiences, it helps to know that someone else is going through this as well. Best of health!!!

Thank you, Skyfine55. It’s great to hear about your experience.

I just came back from the urologist. He confirmed that I could be seeing shrinkage after just 3 days.

I’ll tell you; it’s so weird. Suddenly I have boy balls. Maybe I can get used to it, but it doesn’t feel very sexy to me. It’s ironic, isn’t it, that the very treatment that restores your manliness also takes away your balls. Oh well. The uro said the “problem” is entirely reversible.

The treatment RickM mentioned before was HCG. My urologist might be amenable to prescribing it, but the problem is cost, I hear. I’ll need to get a handle on that.

I’m also curious about damiana. Many here say it increases nut size. I don’t know the mechanism; perhaps it includes an LH analog that fools the nuts into increasing their output. In any case, I’m wondering whether it could work in our situations. It’s probably much cheaper than HCG.

To answer your question, yes, the Dr. did give me a choice. I chose the gel (Testim) because I thought it would be the most trouble-free, non-invasive, and cheap. I was wrong. It has a floral fragrance that my wife detests and that quickly permeated all of my clothes. It’s also a dead giveaway to anyone familiar with the smell that you’re taking T. It’s also kind of messy to apply.

Another option is to have testosterone pellets inserted under the skin. They’re rice-size crystals of pure T that dissolve over a period of months. No muss, no fuss, no odor. I think I’ll opt for that next.

Shots are also a good option, but I think monthly is not often enough. Every other week would give a more even level; perhaps you could request that of your Dr.

I have been experiencing a very quick rebound in energy. Everyone’s telling me it’s psychosomatic, but I think it may be real. I’m somewhat hornier, but sex drive hasn’t changed yet as much as energy. I’m really enjoying being able to get things done.

Thanks again for the reply. I’m happy to have some buddies who have been through this before.

Talked to the uro. He doesn’t like mixing treatments, so I’ll be sticking just to the T for now and letting my balls shrink. Maybe I can talk him into a cocktail later.

Overall, I’m really liking this TRT thing. I have energy—buckets of it. I launch out of bed in the morning. Gone are the days it took a pot of coffee to get me moving.

I’m eating more and losing fat. I haven’t been this lean since high school. Sex is different. I haven’t had much, but I actually feel like doing it a lot of the time. Orgasms are much more intense—I almost lose consciousness. But the post orgasm pleasure doesn’t last as long. Too bad.

I’m not exhausted after sex now. I can do it in the morning and still have a high energy day.

Simply, I feel a lot younger.

Hey ModestoMan,

What was your free T reading before you start the gel? At 505 ng/l total T, you are still right in the middle for your age, so I don’t see why you need a T gel.

My Result came back yesterday and I have:

Total T = 416 ng/l (Normal Range 300 - 180)
Free T = 101 ( Normal Range 47 - 244)

With the above results, I can also conclude that my T level is wack. However, I’m no willing to take any synthetic T but will go about using those natural 13 steps suggested by gprent and go for another test in 3 months to see how things go from there.

ModestoMan,

What was your SHGB result?

If it’s high, then you might want to target SHGB that binds your free T rather than taking a gel.

For me SHGB came back as 18 (Ref. Range 11-80). I am lucky to have low SHGB and that is why most of my T are free. The Free T is what count and as long as your SHGB is not overbinding them you are good. I read about a guy online with a T of about 1330 ng/dl but a measly Free T of 127. Even with his high T levels, he’s probably not doing much better than me at one-third of his total T.

For me, I know now that Tribulus, Tongkat Ali and Funegreek with lot of weight training and a balanced diet are all I need to raise T as they are not been overbinded by SHGB.

It has been awhile since I checked this thread. Xtremecork, my SHBG is on the high side, and so is my estradiol, so that surely does explain my low free T. One month after receiving testosterone pellets, my Total T was 811 but free T was only about 20% above the bottom of the scale. I’m feeling just feh.

From what I’ve read, lowering estradiol is essential to lowering SHBG. One can use aromatase inhibitors, such as Arimidex, or try a more natural approach. Eliminating alcohol and losing weight can really work, too.

I knew about the plastic containers and cruciferous dietary stuff, as well as the sleep and bodyfat….

….but thanks alot for hipping me to the parabens and the grapefruit….as a citrus lover, are there any other citruses that make it hard for the liver to break down estrogen? And if you know, what is the exact substance in grapefruit that causes this?